Jump Rope to Burn Fat, Get Fit and Feel Great

Everyone is always looking for the next big thing when it comes to burning fat and getting fit. We look to high tech gyms, new types of fitness classes (urban rebounding anyone!!) and complicated (i.e useless) pieces of home exercise equipment. But more often than not, the truth is that simple, old school workouts are often the most effective. Jumping rope is the pinnacle of this philosophy. As far as any piece of equipment can, a jump rope can help you to achieve almost any goal. Be it burning fat, increasing your aerobic/anaerobic conditioning, increasing your explosive strength, balance, timing and co-ordination. It can be a devil to master, but its rewards far outweigh the effort needed.

From a simple calorie-burning perspective, jumping rope is at the elite level of exercise. If an average 160lb person is jumping at 120rpm they will burn around 12.9 calories per minute. Compare this to:

running (12.8 k/cals),

swimming (5.1 k/cals),

cycling (5.1 k/cals)

kayaking (6.4 k/cals)

or doubles tennis (7.7 k/cals).

You can see the potential for jump rope to really supercharge your fat loss programs. From a fitness perspective, jumping rope for 10 mins produces the same cardio-respiratory fitness as cycling 2 miles in 6 mins, jogging for 30 mins, running 1 mile in 12 minutes or 2 sets of tennis. It’s this time-efficient approach to jumping rope that is so attractive. You invest a relatively small amount of time and get huge benefits for your efforts.

So how do you begin learning? Easy, lets start with your choice of rope. I’ve used dozens of skipping ropes over the years, some good, some not so good. The important factor is to get hold of one with minimal resistance and great speed. The thing about ropes is that you can spend anywhere from £1 to £100 and you won’t necessarily get a better rope by spending more. The middle ground of £10-£20 is where you’ll find the best product for you. If you are looking for ropes on the internet just do some web searches and look at forums to see which products are most popular with forums and groups.

To start learning you need to follow a simple plan of “a little, every day”. With a basic, 2 feet together bounce step and alternate foot step follow this progression: 10 sets of jumping with a goal of executing 140 jumps without a mistake
Start with as few as 5-10 jumps per set and rest as needed between sets Try to add 10-20 extra jumps every set as your timing and fitness improves Aim to consistently reach 140 jumps without error

Do this 5 times per week for 2-3 weeks and you’ll see your proficiency quickly improve. After this period, try to do 500 jumps in 3 sets, then 500 in 2 sets and finally 500 in 1 set. At this point you can consider the jump rope as a real secret weapon in your fitness arsenal. The jump rope can be used in circuits, endurance training, sports training and for simple fat loss. It takes time to master, trust me- a million tangles later I certainly know, but when it’s going well it is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding exercises around.



Posted by Chris Loughrey



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